Two tries by former England international Iain Balshaw inspired last season’s beaten finalists Biarritz to a 26-19 win over English outfit Bath on Saturday and ensure they finish top of their European Cup pool.
Biarritz managed to get their bonus point with four tries and edge 1999 champions Ulster — who thrashed Italian side Aironi 43-6 in Italy with South African flanker Pedrie Wannenburg scoring three of the six tries — in Pool 4 courtesy of their head-to-head record.
Ulster, though, at least have the consolation of a place in the last eight for the first time since 1999 as one of the two best runners-up.
French side Toulon were consigned to an away quarter-final after they lost 29-17 at already eliminated Welsh side Ospreys, for whom star winger Shane Williams made his return after two months absent through injury.
Toulon finish top of Pool 3, but their total haul of 17 points will not be enough to merit a home game in what is their first season in the competition.
Balshaw, who won the last of his caps for England nearly three years ago, said that he and his side were slowly rediscovering their form.
“The most important thing was to qualify for the last eight,” the former Gloucester star said. “We spoke at halftime of the possiblity we could score four tries [for the bonus]. It seemed a very open game, but we made a lot of mistakes, at the same time we had to have an open game to give ourselves the best opportunity to play here in the quarters.”
“However, we will have to wait till tomorrow [after Sunday’s matches] to see what our fate in terms of whether we are at home or not,” he said.
Biarritz had created a comfortable cushion by the half-hour mark with two converted tries through Dimitri Yachvili and English World Cup-winning back Balshaw, both of which Yachvili slotted over the conversions.
Balshaw’s was the best of the pair, receiving the ball well outside the 22 before showing an amazing turn of pace to beat the covering Bath defense and score in the corner.
English prop Duncan Bell had had a torrid opening 30 minutes under constant pressure from grizzled French veteran Sylvain Marconnet, whose return to top form earned him a recall to the national squad this week.
He eventually cracked and was sin-binned by the referee for collapsing the scrum.
Biarritz grabbed their third try of the match soon after the beginning of the second-half as 31-year-old man-of-the-match Balshaw went over with Yachvili converting.
Bath rallied briefly by scoring a try from their own scrum-half Michael Claassens — making his 100th appearance for the club — feeding lock Stuart Hooper who bundled over.
However, with just more than an hour gone the hosts wrapped up the match and more importantly the bonus point guaranteeing them finishing top of the pool with a fourth try.
Biarritz’s Zimbabwe-born US international winger Takudzwa Ngwenya was the man to score as he received the ball just inside the 22 before touching down for his fifth try of the season.
Northampton completed a perfect six wins in six games in Pool 1 with a 23-12 win at Castres to guarantee a home quarter-final.
In Saturday’s other action, Cardiff Blues downed Edinburgh 21-14, while Munster defeated London Irish 28-14.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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